Computing devices have been miniaturized and mobilized to the point where many individuals have one or more of a laptop, personal digital assistant (PDA) and/or a smart phone with them at all times. The ubiquitous nature of mobile computing devices have given rise to several rules and restrictions as to where and how such devices may be used. For example, the radio transmission and wireless networking capabilities of a mobile device may be limited to certain frequencies or prohibited altogether in certain areas in order to comply with local laws. As another example, certain locations require muting of the device volume, disabling of the image capture capabilities of the device and/or turning the device off altogether. It is therefore necessary or desirable to configure hardware of a mobile computing device to comply with whatever restrictions may apply in the geographic location in which the mobile computing device is located.
Moreover, various wireless networks have been developed which allow individuals to user their mobile devices to stay connected with a network almost anywhere they may find themselves. Such wireless networks include for example wireless personal area networks (WPANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless metropolitan area networks (WiMax or WMANs), and wireless wide area networks (WWANs). Each of these networks may operate according to different protocols, and may employ different hardware within a computing device for connectivity. As an individual travels between different geographic areas, the user may wish or need to connect to different networks. For example, the user may connect to a WWAN while traveling, but may connect to a speedier and more secure WLAN at home or work. Mobile devices have grown in sophistication so as to include the hardware able to access different networks in different geographic areas. However, hardware configuration is required in order to change between different networks.
It is well known that devices may be location aware. Software and hardware global positioning systems and the like are well known for providing location information to a mobile computing device. It is also known to automatically configure certain software applications running on a mobile computing device based on the identifiable position of a mobile computing device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,944,679 entitled, “Context-Aware Systems and Methods, Location-Aware Systems and Methods, Context-Aware Vehicles and Methods of Operating the Same, and Location-Aware Vehicles and Methods of Operating the Same,” assigned to the owner of the present application, discloses a system capable of determining the position of a mobile computing device, and then modifying the behavior of one or more software applications running on the device based on the location information.